So You’ve Lost a Limb

D.A. Grady has spent much of his life in the west. Growing up, high school summers were spent chasing mustangs or wild horses, just outside of Reno, Nevada, where he and friends captured and broke them to ride, later selling them for school money. A veteran, old school cowboy, he is most at home in that world, including, hunting, fishing and spending time with his animals. After joining the U.S. Navy in 1962, he received a Presidential appointment to the Naval Academy, after which he rejoined the fleet and became part of America’s space program. While stationed aboard the USS Lake Champlain, he worked in air traffic control and was a member of the team used to recover Gemini III and Gemini V space vehicles. Later, he joined the news staff of KSWO-TV in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he anchored the news desk for several years, during which he received the Salvation Army’s National Service to Mankind Award for a documentary he produced on nearby Snyder, Oklahoma, after it was devastated by a tornado. In years to follow, D.A. entered U.S. Army civil service at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, as a logistician working in emergency management, designing and operating a first of its kind emergency operations center that played a key role in Operation Desert Storm. During that time, he undertook the training of specialized dogs used in the detection of narcotics and explosives. He and his dog, King, were known nationwide for their efforts in detecting contraband in both military and federal law enforcement. Later, he transferred to Ft. McPherson, Georgia, to become the Chief of the Army’s Away Team - a rapid response deployment unit, providing on-site management and reporting to the highest levels of the Pentagon. Recruited by Dell Computer, D.A. came to Austin, Texas, where he worked as operations manager for its federal division. Two years later he formed Solutions for Older Americans, LLC, a consulting firm, working exclusively with America’s senior citizens in an effort to help them improve their quality of life. Mr. Grady lives in Cedar Park, Texas, with his wife, Emma. His sons, Ken and Carl, live in Houston and daughter Angela lives close by. He can be found at his website: www.bardsnest.com and also at his blogsite: http: //wp.me/p5Bnng-qS. You may follow him on Twitter as @dagsnotes.